Tove Bruvik Westberg, Norwegian ambassador to Portugal, was in Alte this Tuesday, May 9, to learn about the urban interventions carried out under the EEA Grants financing mechanism.
The ambassador was accompanied on the visit by the mayor of Loulé Vítor Aleixo, and by the president of the Parish Council of Alte António Martins.
The Municipality of Loulé submitted a Revitalization Plan for this village to the EEA Grants (a financial mechanism that is currently financed by Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland) and, in May 2000, the project was approved, with an amount of 4,9 millions of euros.
The visit made it possible to learn about the transformations and the positive impact that these works had on the village and its inhabitants. The delegation also had the opportunity to get to know the local gastronomy and handicrafts, as well as the beauty of the typical architecture of the village.
«Having the opportunity to visit a space several years after the intervention allows us to understand the impact it had from an urban, economic, social and cultural point of view, and how it was possible to make a difference with the support of the EEA Grants. A pleasant surprise!” said Tove Bruvik Westberg.
The route included the Polo Museológico Cândido Guerreiro and Condes de Alte, the open-air amphitheater in Fonte Grande, the repair of the area between the two fountains, the parking lot, the street furniture, the paving of the streets and many other works carried out that came to give Alte a new life.
«The consequences of all this have been notorious over the years: the establishment of new businesses, the substantial increase in tourists in the village, but also the attraction of new residents. A leveraging of development that started back there, at the end of the last century, but which today makes Alte one of the best examples of sustainable growth that must exist in these inland areas», says Vítor Aleixo who, at the time the funding was awarded, was also functions as mayor of Loulé.
The visit also included a tasting tour of regional products and a visit to the seventh workshop of the Loulé Criativo project, and the first located outside the city of Loulé.
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